News – Page 605
-
News
€3·1bn Berlin fleet renewal programme approved
GERMANY: The supervisory board of Berlin city transport operator BVG approved a €3·1bn metro trainset and tram procurement programme running until 2035 at its meeting on October 31. This decision enables BVG to call the first tenders under the fleet expansion and renewal programme, which could eventually cover 700 large-profile ...
-
News
Jeswant Gill
Jeswant Gill has been appointed President of Harsco Rail, while Andre Schoen becomes Vice-President for the International Regions.
-
News
China to fund and build Malaysian east coast link
MALAYSIA: The government is planning to start construction of the 538 route-km East Coast Rail Link next year once agreements for funding have been agreed with China.Speaking to local media at the start of an official visit to China on October 31, Treasury Secretary-General Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah said that ...
-
News
£60m Hull Trains electro-diesel train deal signed
UK: Contracts worth £60m for Hitachi Rail Europe to supply and maintain five AT300 five-car electro-diesel multiple-units for use by open access company Hull Trains were finalised by the operator’s parent company FirstGroup and leasing company Angel Trains on November 2. This follows the granting of a ...
-
News
NSB assets transferred to standalone businesses
NORWAY: National operator NSB’s rolling stock fleet and ticketing activities and the associated staff were transferred to two standalone subsidiary companies with effect from October 15. The rolling stock is now owned by Materiellselskapet AS and the sales and ticketing activities by Entur AS (formerly known as Salg og Billettering ...
-
News
Moscow – Berlin Talgo starts on December 17
EUROPE: Russian Railways is to launch its Moscow – Minsk – Warszawa – Berlin Talgo train service in December, the national railway confirmed on October 28. The first trains will depart from Moscow’s Kursk station on December 17 and from Berlin Ostbahnhof the following day, RZD said. Tickets are now ...
-
News
Contractors inch towards deal on Haramain delay
SAUDI ARABIA: An agreement to end the dispute over delays and cost over-runs affecting the Haramain High Speed Rail Line could be reached in the next few weeks, following a visit by Saudi Railways Organization President Dr Rumaih Mohammed Al-Rumaih to Madrid on October 25-26. During his visit to ...
-
News
CAF preferred for De Lijn trams
BELGIUM: CAF has been selected as preferred bidder to supply 146 low-floor trams for De Lijn, at an estimated cost of €320m, the Vlaanderen transport operator announced on October 31. De Lijn invited bids last year for its largest ever procurement, covering three builds of 32 m long cars to ...
-
News
Fehmarn Belt client consultants prequalified
DENMARK: Fehmarn Belt fixed link project promoter Femern A/S has prequalified companies to tender for two framework agreements covering the provision of consulting services. The client consulting contract includes assistance in relation to potential claims from contractors during and following the construction phase. The prequalified companies are: CH2M Hill (UK), ...
-
News
Finnish firm wins TGV lighting contract
FRANCE: SNCF has selected Finnish company Teknoware to supply LED interior lighting for the refurbishment of its Alstom-built TGV Duplex double-deck high speed train fleet. The contract covers the supply of main lighting elements housed in opening ceiling frames on both sides of the aisles, as well as indirect mood ...
-
News
PKP Cargo fleet modernisation
POLAND: The PKP Cargo Tabor workshop at Ostrów Wielkopolski has completed work on the first of seven ET41 twin-section locomotives which are to be modernised. The work has focused on improving working conditions, with redesigned driving desks, air-conditioning, sound-proofing, tinted windows, heating for snow and water clearance and the installation ...
-
News
Rail to gain from Göteborg intermodal terminal relocation
SWEDEN: Port authority Göteborgs Hamn expects rail market share to grow from early 2018 when the Göteborg intermodal terminal is moved from its current central site to a new location adjacent to the port’s roll-on roll-off terminal. The current terminal handles 12 trains and 200 lorries on a typical weekday, ...
-
News
Vossloh names Busemann CEO
Andreas Busemann is set to take over as CEO of Vossloh AG for a three-year term, with effect from April 2017. He will succeed Hans M Schabert, who has opted not to extend his contract when it expires on March 31. Busemann is currently Chief Sales Officer at DB Cargo ...
-
News
NSW fleet replacement accelerated
AUSTRALIA: The procurement of new trainsets to replace the XPT passenger fleet is to begin the first half of 2017, two years earlier than planned, New South Wales Deputy Premier Troy Grant and Minister for Transport & Infrastructure Andrew Constance confirmed on October 28. An additional A$50m has been committed ...
-
News
Bitcoin to be sold through Swiss ticket machines
SWITZERLAND: Passengers will be able to buy the digital currency Bitcoin from Swiss Federal Railways’ ticket machines from November 11, under a distribution deal between the operator and financial intermediary company SweePay. SBB said there have been limited opportunities to purchase Bitcoin in Switzerland, and over the past two years ...
-
News
High speed rail hub opens in Ankara
TURKEY: National railway TCDD opened a dedicated high speed station in Ankara on October 29, with the inauguration celebrations attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım, a former transport minister.Comprising three island platforms with six running lines, the station has been built adjacent to the capital’s ...
-
News
Austria – Slovenia rail link to be redoubled
EUROPE: Slovenia’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Austria’s Ministry of Transport, Innovation & Technology signed an agreement on October 20 for a €192m modernisation and redoubling of the Graz – Maribor line in 2017-21. This is intended to increase capacity from 63 to 84 trains/day, and reduce the journey time from ...
-
News
World rail freight news round-up
On October 23 Container Corp of India launched a weekly timetabled Parcel Express Train service between Dadri Inland Container Depot near Delhi and Tondiarpet ICD near Chennai. The Ministry of Railways said the assured transit time of 68 h would enable Concor to attract additional traffic estimated at 350 to ...
-
News
Cross-border container corridor
ASIA: Freight trains between China and Russia have started operating over the Primorye-1 corridor in the Far East, following the completion of an infrastructure upgrading programme. Using a former China Eastern Railway alignment, the Primorye-1 corridor connects Harbin and Heilongjiang province with Russia’s Far East ports, providing direct access for ...
-
News
Bridge lift to increase clearances
UK: An innovative process to raise arched masonry bridges to increase clearances for electrification was successfully demonstrated in Buckinghamshire on October 26. The ElevArch technique has been developed by Freyssinet under the RSSB-sponsored ‘Avoidance of Bridge Reconstruction’ competition. This was launched in 2014 to find cost-effective ways of increasing clearances ...